Pacific Break returns in 2023!

30 August 2023

Pacific Break returns in 2023!

The Pacific’s biggest music competition returns to the ABC in 2023, kicking off on 21 September.

This year, the search for the Pacific and Timor-Leste’s best original talent launches with an exclusive concert in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea (PNG).

Headlining the show is PNG-born Australian artist Ngaiire who will travel from Australia to Port Moresby to perform. Joining her on stage is last year’s Pacific Break winner Danielle as well as ABC Radio Australia music host and DJ Hau Latukefu who will broadcast a special edition of his weekly music show In The Fale: Live From Moresby.

Pacific Break offers unsigned artists living in the Pacific and Timor-Leste a career-changing opportunity with the winner flown to Australia’s largest international music festival WOMADelaide in March 2024. Throughout the six-week campaign, featured artists have their music and videos featured on ABC Radio Australia and ABC Australia programmes and on ABC Pacific digital and social accounts.

ABC Head International Services Claire M. Gorman said, “It’s great to see Pacific Break returning this year. It’s an important springboard connecting Pacific artists with audiences across the region, and we welcome artists from all genres and all the corners of the Pacific to enter their tracks for consideration.”

This year’s winner will be decided by a panel of judges made up of Ngaiire and ABC Radio Australia music hosts Hau Latukefu (In The Fale), Sose Fuamoli (On The Record) and Rick Howe (Island Music).

According to Ngaiire, “There is so much raw talent in the islands. I feel like the world is going to turn towards what’s happening in Pacific music at some point and Pacific Break is playing an integral part in laying the groundwork. I’m really happy to be a part of the initiative this year helping to find the next winner and even more excited that I get to come home and celebrate it with a live performance with my band.”

The free launch concert will be co-hosted by the Australian High Commission in Papua New Guinea and held at Port Moresby’s Lamana Gold Club. Ngaiire and Danielle’s performances will be recorded and available for audiences to listen on ABC Radio Australia and online through ABC Pacific.

The ABC first held Pacific Break in 2008 when Vanuatu group 26 Roots took out first prize with their track Broken Promises. Last year, PNG singer Danielle made history, becoming the first female artist to win the competition. Other past winners have included PNG hip-hop artist Sprigga Mek as well as Emmanuel Mailau (PNG), III Kings (Solomon Islands), BSQ (Fiji) and Jaik Berg (Cook Islands).

Entries will open on 21 September until midnight on 2 November with the winner announced on ABC Radio Australia morning show Nesia Daily on Thursday 9 November.

Find out more about Pacific Break by visiting www.abc.net.au/pacificbreak

ABC brings home a swag of awards from New York Festivals

26 April 2023

ABC brings home a swag of awards from New York Festivals

ABC content has proven itself to be world class with its screen programmes taking home a number of wins including five gold awards at the 2023 New York Festival Awards.

Factual programmes and the ABC’s in house creative agency ABC Made were the big winners, with Catalyst specials taking home 3 awards and the ABC 90 Years campaign awarded two gold awards.

The two-part Catalyst special Keep on Dancing was awarded a gold in the Health/Medical Information category. The heart-warming special formed part of our ABC Your Move programming and followed a group of over 65’s as they attempted to slow the effects of aging through dance.

Catalyst’s Miracle Babies: Operation Hope was awarded gold in the Health/ Medical Information category. The program took an intimate look at the awe-inspiring world of fetal surgery in a story of hope and trailblazing medicine as parents face agonising decisions about their baby’s future.

Creative National Science Week Catalyst special Australia’s Favourite Tree was awarded a silver award in the Environment & Ecology category. The programme profiled Australia’s unique tree species and saw 270,000 votes cast to determine which tree was Australia’s favourite.

The latest iteration of the incredibly successful social experiment, Old People’s Home for Teenagers also took home a gold award in the Social Issues category adding to the programmes impressive run at home and on the world stage.

This season saw the uplifting series swap pre-schoolers for teenagers to see if they could transform the lives of older people and teenagers amid an epidemic of loneliness.

Of the awards, Richard Huddleston, ABC Acting Head of Factual and Culture said “I am delighted to see our content being recognised at such a prestigious global event. These awards are a testament to the quality of Australian storytelling and an acknowledgement of the creativity and passion that our teams pour into their work.”

The ABC’s brand campaign for our ABC 90 celebration was awarded two gold awards in the Station/Image Promotion and Station/Network ID categories.

Produced in-house by the ABC’s creative agency ABC Made, the campaign was filmed in four locations across Australia with ninety people in each location performing the iconic Bruce Woodley AO and Dobe Newton song, I am Australian.

ABC Director Audiences Leisa Bacon described the campaign as “A true celebration of our commitment to connecting Australians for the last 90 Years.”

The New York Festivals Radio Awards saw podcasts Pink Diamond Heist, Let Us In! and Beauty Queens Who Want to Save the World all recognised as finalists.

ABC Global Affairs Editor named

15 April 2022

ABC Global Affairs Editor named

John Lyons, one of Australia’s leading journalists and most experienced foreign correspondents, has been appointed ABC NEWS Global Affairs Editor.

Lyons will contribute expert analysis and reporting across all platforms and enhance on-the-ground coverage of the biggest world stories.

He will also help mentor the next generation of talented correspondents coming through the organisation.

ABC NEWS currently has correspondents deployed in Bangkok, Beirut, Istanbul (from May 2022), Jakarta, Jerusalem, London, New Delhi, Port Moresby, Taipei, Tokyo and Washington.

Director, News Justin Stevens:

“International reporting is one of the core services the ABC provides to our audiences. Our correspondents make sense of the key overseas events and issues from an Australian perspective and analyse how they impact us at home.

“We have an outstanding group of correspondents and John will add more than four decades of experience as a journalist.

“He is the perfect person for the role.”

Lyons, a former Editor of The Sydney Morning Herald, joined the ABC in August 2017 as Head Investigative and In-depth Journalism, leading ABC NEWS’s current affairs teams at 7.30, Australian Story, Four Corners, Q+A, Insiders, Foreign Correspondent and the Investigative Reporting Team.

Previously he has worked as a foreign correspondent based in Washington, New York and Jerusalem for a range of media outlets.

Lyons will take up the new role in June, following the federal election.

John Lyons:

“For 90 years the ABC has reported and analysed events around the world for an Australian audience. It is therefore a great honour for me that, after 40 years in journalism, I have the opportunity to join the ABC’s international team.

“Parts of the world today are as precariously poised as they’ve been since World War 2. If a year ago someone had said that in 2022 we would have another war in the heart of Europe and Vladimir Putin would order his nuclear capability be put on high alert few people would have believed that possible.

“I would like to acknowledge the ABC’s new Director of News Justin Stevens for deciding in his first two weeks to boost the ABC’s international coverage.”

ABOUT JOHN LYONS

A three-time Walkley Award winner, John Lyons has reported at home and abroad across four decades.

His first major foreign assignment was reporting on the fall of former Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos in 1986, going on to co-author a book about the dramatic fall of the corrupt regime, Marcos and Beyond.

In 1991 he was posted to New York for The Sydney Morning Herald and later to Washington for The Australian, covering the election and inauguration of Bill Clinton, the early days of the Clinton administration and the beginning of the Oslo peace accords.

In 2009 Lyons was posted to Jerusalem as the Middle East Correspondent for The Australian. From there he covered stories including the rise and violent downfall of the Arab Spring, the end of the Gaddafi regime in Libya, the collapse of the Mubarak regime in Egypt and the attempt by ISIS to take Baghdad.

He reported on three wars between Israel and Hamas in Gaza and the “Green Revolution” in Tehran, which was brutally put down by the Iranian regime. While based in Jerusalem, he also won three United Nations human rights awards and wrote the book Balcony Over Jerusalem: A Middle East Memoir.

From the Middle East he won the Walkley Award for investigative journalism for a report for Four Corners. His other awards include the 1999 Graham Perkin Award for Australian Journalist of the Year for his outstanding reporting on national affairs for The Bulletin.

His other previous roles include Associate Editor (Digital Content) at The Australian and Executive Producer of the Nine Network’s Sunday program.

Justin Stevens appointed Director, ABC News, Analysis and Investigations

5 April 2022

Justin Stevens appointed Director, ABC News, Analysis and Investigations

The ABC has announced that Justin Stevens has been appointed Director, ABC News, Analysis and Investigations.

Justin brings extensive journalism experience and editorial leadership to the position built across two decades and senior editorial positions in current affairs.

In his former role as 7.30 Executive Producer, Justin has for four years been responsible for leading and managing the ABC’s agenda-setting flagship daily current affairs program.

His appointment as Director follows a comprehensive recruitment process involving both internal and external applicants.

The appointment is effective from Monday 4 April.

ABC Managing Director David Anderson said:“Justin has a proven track record in editorial leadership across complex issues and events. Together with the ABC News Executive team, Justin will lead the next stage of the ABC News strategy to be more accessible, valuable and relevant to Australians across all platforms, with the highest quality journalism always at the core.

“Justin fully understands the challenges and opportunities the ABC faces as an essential public service in the digital media era.

“I want to thank the members of the ABC News Executive for their support during this recruitment process, especially Gavin Fang, who has done an exceptional job acting in the News Director role and who will continue to play a crucial role in the work of ABC News into the future.

“This is a key appointment for the ABC and it comes amid major news events – the continuing effects of the COVID pandemic, the war in Ukraine, domestic issues such as the rising cost of living, and the upcoming federal election.

“It’s a position that requires exceptional editorial leadership, and Justin will be outstanding in the role.”

Justin Stevens commented: “I’m incredibly proud to be part of ABC News and it’s an honour to be given the opportunity to lead this great team.

“The ABC celebrates 90 years this year and ABC News is a huge part of its proud heritage.

“Australians trust ABC News to deliver the quality public interest journalism and services they need and which are a key part of a healthy democracy. That job is more vital than ever.”

About Justin Stevens

Justin’s first job in the media was in 2005 as a researcher for the Nine Network on Sunday and for Geoffrey Robertson’s Hypotheticals.

He joined the ABC in December 2006 and worked as a producer and a supervising producer on 7.30 until 2014. His work there included producing key Australian political and feature interviews for presenters Kerry O’Brien and Leigh Sales, including with Barack Obama, Tony Blair, Sir David Attenborough, Woody Allen and the Dalai Lama, and working on breaking news coverage.

In 2013 he was a producer on the four-part ABC series “Keating: the Interviews” with Kerry O’Brien.

In 2014-2015 he was a producer on the three-part series “The Killing Season” with Sarah Ferguson, which won an AACTA Award for Best Documentary and a Logie Award for outstanding public affairs report.

From 2015-2017 Justin worked on Four Corners, producing programs including the Hillary Clinton interview special; a money laundering investigation; the “Leaders” election special; profiles of Clive Palmer and Bill Shorten; and a program on territorial disputes in the South China Sea. He produced “The Siege”, the two-part special on Sydney’s Lindt Café siege which won the 2018 Logie Award for outstanding news coverage.

In 2018 Justin was appointed Executive Producer of national nightly current affairs flagship 7.30, leading a team that sets the news agenda, goes in-depth on the biggest stories of the day and investigates and breaks stories of national significance.

Night after night, 7.30 delivers the key interviews with the top politicians, public figures and newsmakers from Australia and around the world. Its extensive record of public interest journalism includes long-running investigations on topics such as the Centrelink “robodebt” scheme and Melbourne’s quarantine hotel inquiry; breaking stories on decisions in grant allocations by former NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian; in-depth reporting on Indigenous issues; and extensive reporting out of regional and rural Australia.

Under Justin’s watch 7.30 has grown its broadcast and digital audience. In 2021 its national audience averaged 980,000 viewers a night with an audience share of almost 13% in metro markets and 12.5% in regional areas.

Australian government to end ABC funding freeze

9 February 2022

Australian government to end ABC funding freeze

Australia’s federal government has announced that it is ending a freeze on funding of the ABC.

From July 2022, the ABC will receive almost A$3.3 billion (US$2.37 billion) over three years. SBS – the country’s second national broadcaster – will receive more than A$950 million over the same period.

ABC Chair Ita Buttrose said: “I am delighted with the Government’s decision to commit $3.3 billion over the next three years to the ABC.

“It will allow the national broadcaster to continue doing what it does best – provide information and entertainment to Australians wherever they live.”

ABC Managing Director David Anderson commented: “On behalf of the ABC, I welcome the funding certainty this announcement brings to the national broadcaster for the next three years.

“The $3.3 billion over the next triennium, announced by the Minister Paul Fletcher, sees the resumption of indexation, the continuation of the Enhanced Newsgathering (ENG) program that provides vital services across the country, and ongoing support for audio description services for blind or visually impaired audiences.

“ENG funding has delivered more tailored news to local communities and has seen the ABC invest more in specialist resources that provide vital context and analysis about issues that matter to all Australians.

“Importantly, this announcement also guarantees the ability of the ABC to continue to reinvest funds from the recently concluded Google and Facebook deals into rural and regional services.

“As the ABC’s Managing Director, I have consistently made the case for the resumption of indexation on the ABC’s base funding and the continued support for ENG program.

“The triennial funding announcement is an important recognition that the ABC is needed now more than ever, and this funding is required so it can continue to fulfil its vital role in our democratic society.

“I would like to thank the Minister, Paul Fletcher, and the Government for recognising the enduring value of the ABC as we mark 90years of serving Australians.”